A task force of Russian special operators and paratroopers recently conducted an unprecedented high-altitude airborne training exercise in the Arctic, with some personnel jumping from Il-76 Candid transport aircraft flying at close to 33,000 feet. This is is yet another high-profile demonstration of Russia’s steadily growing capabilities in this ever-more strategic region and showed off its ability to quickly send special operations forces there or anywhere else.
The three-day exercise took place last week on Alexandra Land, an island in Russia’s Franz Josef Land archipelago, which sits on the Arctic Ocean well above the Arctic Circle. Russian special operations forces, often referred to collectively as spetsnaz, from both the military Special Operations Forces Command and the Federal Security Service’s Special Purpose Center, took part in the event, together with Russian Army paratroopers. The drill itself included troops setting up a base camp once on the ground, conducting reconnaissance patrols using snowmobiles and drones, and launching a raid on a mock camp filled with “saboteurs,” a term Russia often applies to terrorist cells or other small groups of hostile actors, including enemy special operations teams.
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